Increase in Tucson, Santa Fe, and Elantra Hybrid Models
Hyundai Motor's hybrid sales in the U.S. market in July increased by 67% compared to the previous year. With a significant rise in hybrid sales, the monthly sales performance in the U.S. rebounded after one month.
On the other hand, Kia's monthly sales decreased by 10% as internal combustion engine vehicle sales declined despite strong performance in eco-friendly vehicles.
On the 1st (local time), Hyundai Motor America announced that July sales reached 69,202 units, a 4% increase compared to the same month last year. Among them, hybrid sales rose 67% year-over-year, boosting the overall performance.
In particular, the Tucson Hybrid recorded a 109% increase compared to the previous year, followed by the Santa Fe Hybrid (75%) and Elantra Hybrid (13%), with major hybrid models setting all-time records for July.
Randy Parker, CEO of Hyundai Motor America, said, "Although we faced difficulties in early July due to the resolution of the CDK (software company) issue, total sales increased by 4% thanks to the strong performance of our hybrid and electric vehicle lineup."
In mid-June, the U.S. automotive industry experienced a problem where CDK software, a sales and inventory system mainly used by dealers, was paralyzed due to a ransomware (malicious software restricting system access) attack. The aftermath of this incident continued into early July.
Despite strong performance from representative models such as Seltos and Sportage, Kia's monthly sales in July decreased by double digits. However, Kia interpreted that the cumulative electric vehicle sales through July increased by 99% year-over-year, maintaining an upward trend.
Kia's July sales were 63,580 units, down 10% year-over-year. Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) such as the Seltos (5%) and Sportage (4%) showed strong performance, accounting for 76% of total sales. The electric vehicle share was 18%.
Meanwhile, most Japanese brands such as Honda (10%), Mazda (30%), and Subaru (2%) saw increased sales in the U.S. market in July, but Toyota (-5%) experienced a decline.
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